1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, generally, to a shoe cleaner and, more especially, to one adapted for removal of organic debris from the sole of footwear.
2. Description of the Background Art
Boot and shoe scrapers of various configurations are commercially available for removal of debris from the sole of such footwear. A common variety consists simply of a frame having an upstanding bar or plate with an edge across which the sole of a boot or shoe can be scraped. Some such cleaners also include brushes disposed for contact with the edges and lower sides of the shoe while it is moved across the bar or plate scraper member. These devices work fairly well for removal of mud, dirt, or other crusty debris. Grate-type scraper devices, whether designed expressly for removal of debris from shoe soles or used in a more impromptu fashion by individuals with debris-laden footwear, have also been employed for cleaning the bottoms of shoes or boots. These grates work fairly well until the interstices thereof become filled with debris and then act, more commonly, as a source of contamination for the sole of footwear.
The problem of keeping footwear soles clean is particularly acute in industrial settings, and even more so around food processing plants. In food processing plants workers customarily wear heavy rubber or rubber soled boots which have a tendency to pick up offal or similar organic debris in and near the processing areas. When workers with contaminated footwear leave the processing area for other areas of the same plant there is, accordingly, a tendency to track this material.
To date there has yet to be devised an efficient shoe or boot scraper which will effectively remove debris, and particularly organic debris, from the sole of footwear.